Właściwości lecznicze aromatów wyprodukowanych z ziół, kwiatów i owoców są znane od wielu lat i ich zastosowanie w ogólnie rozumianej terapii nie jest nowością [1, 3, 5, 9, 13÷15, 21, 22, 25÷27, 29, 32]. Psychopedagogika jako dyscyplina naukowa zajmująca się badaniem procesów psychicznych [32] wiele projektów terapii i treningów opiera się na terapii przez zapach. W wachlarzu swoich metod z uwagi na właściwości lecznicze i terapeutyczne często korzysta z aromaterapii rozumianej jako terapia przez zapach, która wykorzystuje naturalne olejki eteryczne w leczeniu i profilaktyce zdrowotnej [24]. Dzięki doznaniom zmysłowym płynącym z naturalnych olejków następuje redukcja lęku pobudzenie lub wyciszenie, poprawa samopoczucia, ożywienie i odświeżenie umysłu, wyostrzenie zmysłów i poprawa zdolności koncentracji. Zalecana jest szczególnie wśród odbiorców, jakimi są osoby niepełnosprawne intelektualnie. Niepełnosprawność intelektualna jest jednym z najczęściej obserwowanych zaburzeń neuropsychicznych i stanowi ogromny i poważny problem w zakresie szeroko rozumianej ochrony zdrowia [5, 16, 32]. Według definicji Światowej Organizacji Zdrowia niepełnosprawność intelektualna to istotne obniżenie ogólnego poziomu funkcjonowania intelektualnego oraz trudności w zachowaniu przystosowawczym.
Healing properties of aromatics produced from herbs, flowers and fruits have been known for many years and their use in the generally understood therapy is not new. Psychopedagogy as a scientific discipline that studies mental processes, many therapies and training projects is based on treatment by the essence (smell). In the range of its methods, because of the healing and therapeutic properties, it often uses aromatherapy, understood as a therapy by the scent, which uses natural essential oils in the treatment and health prophylaxis. Thanks to sensual sensations stemming from natural essential oils anxiety reduction agitation or calm, improvement of mood, reviving and refreshing of mind, sharpening of senses and improvement of ability to concentrate take place. It is recommended, especially among people, such as persons with intellectual disabilities. In order to gather the material required for examination of importance of aromatherapy in stimulation of development of disabled people method of observation was used, that is perception of people and accompanying phenomena, events or processes and the conditions and situations in which they participate and are present. Technique of overt programmed participant observation was used in it. This technique takes place when people are informed about the role of the investigator. The tool of observation was observation sheet, in other words the questionnaire with scheduled all issues covered by observation. In certain sections under certain issue all perceived facts, events and circumstances relevant to the examined phenomenon. Within participant observation relation to specific behaviours of examined objects - individuals, whose behaviour were defined dependent variables was found. For evaluation of conducted observations of mentioned behaviour, authors adopted an symbolic scale from 0, 1, 2 and 3, but for concentration parameter, opposite of that idea, that is de-concentration was adopted in range from 0 to minus 3. Variable independent parameters -results of experience wereobservations in the area: state, aggression, excitability, cognitive activity, concentration - de-concentration. The place of examinations in the field of aromatherapy in the psychopedagogical interactions was Psychoeducational Workshop was located in the building of Occupational Therapy Workshop of Polish Association for Mentally Retarded Persons in Koszalin. Objects, which were directly examined were following person: ? a male aged 27, with detected intellectual disability in a considerable degree with characteristics of autism, indicated in further studies as an object M (male), ? a female aged 28 with intellectual disability in a moderate degree and Down Syndrome, marked as an object K (female). The conducted preliminary observations of two objects K and M and interpretation of their reaction to external stimuli - essential oils at different concentrations allows to draw some general conclusions: ? Smell of specific essential oil sprayed in the room, which accommodates a male -object M and a female -object K, has an impact on how they react and communicate for both cases: autism and Down syndrome. ? It was noted that there is a quasi-optimal concentration of each essential oils located between dose level 2 and 3 in which the positive effectiveness of aromaclearly manifests in better moods, higher cognitive activity and higher levels of concentration. ? It was noted that an overdose of essential oils, thus exceeding the prescribedconcentration between dose 2 and dose 3, has a negative effect on behaviour of both male -object M and a female -object K. Deconcentration occursand cognitive activity clearly decreases.
